As is known, home refrigerators have one or more refrigeration chambers inside for cooling or freezing food, and which are divided into compartments by a number of horizontal shelves spaced apart inside the refrigeration chamber to support the food; and a lighting system for lighting the space inside the compartments defined by the shelves, so that the food is clearly visible from outside the refrigeration chamber.
More specifically, some last-generation lighting systems comprise a number of lighting devices fixed stably to the shelves to light the space below and/or above the shelves; a main electric power line normally located outside the refrigeration chamber; and a number of electric circuits wired directly on the shelves to connect the lighting devices to the main electric power line. Shelves with lighting devices as described above are normally referred to as “illuminated” shelves.
Each lighting device normally comprises an overhead light, in turn comprising a supporting member fixed stably to the shelf, and a bulb fitted to the supporting member; and each electric circuit comprises a number of electric wires or cables connecting the bulb to the main electric line by means of an intermediate connector on the shelf.
The above lighting systems have numerous drawbacks.
First and foremost, “illuminated” shelves as described above are extremely complicated and awkward to produce, by involving fixing each overhead light to the respective shelf; connecting the electric cables electrically to both the bulb and the intermediate electric connector; and gluing the electric cables along predetermined paths on the underside of the shelf, e.g. along the outer peripheral edge of the shelf. As a result, the above manufacturing method obviously greatly increases the overall assembly time, and therefore the final production cost, of the refrigerator.
Moreover, attaching electric cables to illuminated shelves of transparent material, such as glass or Plexiglas, produces numerous shadow regions inside the refrigeration chamber compartments, which, besides reducing visibility of the foodstuffs on the shelves, creates an unsightly overall effect inside the refrigeration chamber. Being fairly thick, the electric cables, in fact, create unsightly straight grey lines on the surfaces of the shelves, which are clearly visible from the outside when the refrigeration chamber is opened.
Moreover, the electric cables form bacteria-accumulating areas on the shelves, which are difficult to clean, and, during routine cleaning, are subject to damage or accidental detachment from the surface of the shelf.